“They Steal Our Food”: Food Insecurity as a Barrier to Social Cohesion Between Refugee and Host Communities in Uganda

Esther Kalule Nanfuka (), Ronald Luwangula, James Thomas Ssenfuuma, Samuel Baker Tibengana, Jordan Canocakacon, Magdalene Ndagire, Joseph Irumba, John-Baptist Kahuma and Eddy Joshua Walakira
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Esther Kalule Nanfuka: Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Makerere University, Kampala P.O. Box 7062, Uganda
Ronald Luwangula: Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Makerere University, Kampala P.O. Box 7062, Uganda
James Thomas Ssenfuuma: Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Makerere University, Kampala P.O. Box 7062, Uganda
Samuel Baker Tibengana: Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Makerere University, Kampala P.O. Box 7062, Uganda
Jordan Canocakacon: AVSI Foundation Uganda, Kampala P.O Box 6785, Uganda
Magdalene Ndagire: AVSI Foundation Uganda, Kampala P.O Box 6785, Uganda
Joseph Irumba: AVSI Foundation Uganda, Kampala P.O Box 6785, Uganda
John-Baptist Kahuma: AVSI Foundation Uganda, Kampala P.O Box 6785, Uganda
Eddy Joshua Walakira: Department of Social Work and Social Administration, Makerere University, Kampala P.O. Box 7062, Uganda

Social Sciences, 2025, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-26

Abstract: Although maintaining social cohesion between refugees and host communities is a major policy goal, due to protracted refugee situations, research on potential barriers is scant, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where a majority of the world’s refugees live. This article provides insights into food insecurity as a barrier to refugee–host community social cohesion in the wake of food aid cuts to refugees globally. We conducted 24 focus group discussions, 3 in-depth interviews, and 8 key informant interviews with refugee and host community members, local leaders, and staff of entities overseeing refugee affairs in two settlements in Southwestern Uganda. We found that refugees experiencing food insecurity and limited coping resources resort to negative and socially unacceptable means, such as theft and aggression, to obtain food. This causes social tensions and social fragmentation that directly contribute to the deterioration of social cohesion by undermining trust, inhibiting cooperation, and weakening the sense of shared purpose between refugees and their host communities. Food insecurity is a significant threat to the social integration of refugees, as it weakens their social connections in the host community. Measures to address food insecurity among refugees are imperative to mitigate its potential deleterious effects on the social integration of refugees in protracted situations.

Keywords: food insecurity; host communities; refugees; protracted refugee situations; social cohesion; Uganda (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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